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Why Lutheran North? 2011-2012 Cutting straight to the chase, it’s because Lutheran North unashamedly proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What makes Lutheran North special is that we are a CHRISTIAN school first and foremost. That’s why we have chapel every day. That’s why we believe it is essential for students to be in a religion class each day they are in attendance. That’s why all faculty members are Christians. That’s why our co-curricular groups pray before practices and performances. That’s why faculty meet for devotions and pray for students at LHN each morning. That's why a senior starts every school day over the PA with a prayer and their favorite Bible verse. That’s why we discipline with a clear Law/Gospel approach. That’s why the expectations are rigorously high at Lutheran North. That’s why people are held accountable. That's why we forgive people. That is why we feel compelled to share with all of our students that Jesus Christ has died so that we all might live. That’s why we exist! Lutheran North is far more than a private school. Lutheran North is very intentionally a Christian school. Allow me to digress and discuss academic rigor. We live in the positivistic age where everyone wants everything quantified. Though much of the substantial reasoning behind sending a child to LHN is quantifiable, allow me to begin with some quantifiable data. Lutheran North sends 97%+ of its yearly graduates to colleges and universities. 146 of the 148 students in the Class of 2007 are enrolled in our nation's colleges or universities. Thus, students here are surrounded by peers who are going to college. It is a way of life. LHN is viewed as the preparation ground for the collegiate experience. Research consistently suggests that those who go to college make significantly higher incomes over their lifetimes than those who do not. Education opens doors to the future, and LHN graduates pursue higher education. Equally as important, LHN graduates get into the state’s and nation’s best colleges and universities. An LHN diploma has value. Last year, the national average on the ACT test was 20.8; the State of Michigan average was 21.5, and the Lutheran High School North average was 22.9. At Lutheran North this year, over 100% of the seniors have taken the ACT. Quality education is taking place. It can be attributed to quality faculty, rigorous academic expectations, excellent preparation and foundation from their elementary schools, fine students, and families who care about their children’s education. Please allow me to qualitatively elaborate on other reasons for sending students to LHN. Lutheran North is safe. The culture at LHN is one of highly disciplined and well supervised activities. Chaos does not and will never occur at LHN. Dances, games, hallways, classroom, cafeteria, parking lots, and chapel are well supervised by our faculty and administration. The Detroit News featured LHN on the FRONT PAGE several years ago on school safety, and CNN ran a story about private schools being very safe and used LHN as the feature school in that story on national TV that same year. Lutheran North is large enough (620 students) to offer many curricular and co-curricular opportunities to our students, yet small enough for each student to be cared for and small enough that one does’t have to be ultra-talented to get involved. We believe that athletics, drama, and music are important aspects of the high school experience and encourage all of our young men and women to get involved. Research consistently indicates that the more students are involved in co-curricular activities, the better they will perform academically (GPA). Lutheran North enjoys an extremely high retention rate from year to year. Although Lutheran North is not the right fit for absolutely everyone, the vast majority (96%) of our students and families continue receiving their education from us once they begin. We are fiercely proud of that and are thankful to the thousands of families who have entrusted part of their children's mental, emotional, physical, educational, and spiritual upbringing to us. LHN has always been blessed with great students who hail from supportive families. Each day, we strive to serve these students and these families in the classroom and beyond. Lutheran North offers a high quality education in a Christian environment. Our bold proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what drives our mission at LHN. Our outstanding faculty and staff are committed to our mission and committed to facilitating an excellent education in the Christian tradition to all of our students. In 1997, we completed a $3 million building expansion and renovation program providing LHN with tremendous facilities and the room necessary for sustained growth. This expansion included 9 new classrooms, an auxiliary gym, and remodeling of our science classrooms, art room, and offices. In the summer of 2001, all of our classrooms were equipped with air conditioning. In 2002, we added a $307,000 addition to our media center thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor. In the fall of 2004 , we added lights on our athletic field and built new bleachers and a new press box providing an exciting night time venue for players and fans alike. The summer of 2005 saw new lockers installed. The fall of 2005 saw the addition of a cushioned surface on our 8 lane track. In 2007, we resurfaced our main gym floor and build storage under our football bleachers. We continually strive to make LHN a better place. We invite you to visit our campus at any time. If there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me. These are indeed exciting times to be a part of LHN. We invite you to be part of that excitement as we continue to move from "Good to Great." God bless you, and God bless Lutheran North. John Reincke , Principal |
